This invention relates generally to pickup attachments used on crop harvesting machines.
A typical pickup attachment includes a reel consisting of a plurality of fingers rotatable in a predetermined path in order to engage and pick up crop material from the ground. It is important for the path of these fingers to follow the contour of the ground in proximity thereto during operation so that a very high percentage of the crop material is picked up.
One conventional type of pickup attachment has been supported by what is commonly referred to as gauge wheels at the sides of the attachment. These gauge wheels are mounted on arms which extend forward of the pickup reel. This type of pickup attachment has a drawback when operated over rough or uneven terrain, in that the gauge wheels tend to lift the reel upward to an extent where the path of the fingers is not in proximity to the ground and thus the fingers fail to pick up some of the crop material.
Another conventional type of pickup attachment has been supported by what is commonly referred to as shoes or skids underneath the attachment. These shoes or skids slide along the surface of the ground during operation. When operated over rough or uneven terrain, this type of pickup attachment has a drawback in that the shoes tend to plow or dig into the ground. A method that is sometimes used to avoid this drawback is to lift the entire reel upward when traversing a rough or uneven area of ground. However, this is unacceptable since a considerable amount of crop material may not be picked up. The shoes also may damage new plant growth on any kind of terrain.